On Saturday, the Enugu State Local Government election was marked by a late arrival of electoral materials and a noticeably low turnout of voters.
According to a correspondent from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the first materials reached polling stations in the Enugu metropolis at 9:45 a.m. The affected sites included Timber Market, Maryland, Independence Layout, Community Primary School, Ugwuaji and Abakpa Nike.
Many of the polling centres in the state capital reported poor voter turnout. Former Chairman of Enugu South Local Government Area, Chief Chiemezie Nkwuo, said that by 12 p.m. the centres would be filled, but that “some residents came here before 8 a.m. but later went home to attend to domestic issues and businesses.”
Residents also cited a lack of competition as a reason for not voting. Mr. Dominic Agu explained that he did not vote because “the election had already been concluded, as only the candidates from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) contested.” Another resident, Nkechi Nwankwo, said that local government elections had never been contested, noting that the government in power “imposed candidates on the people” and that there was “no level playing ground for opposition parties to operate.”
The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) carried out elections across 17 councils and 260 wards in the state, as reported by NAN.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
